Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to cables for high-speed data communication between nodes, such as in a computer network.
Background of the Related Art
Datacenter environments including HPC, SAP HANA and Hyperscale computing configurations consist of hundreds to thousands of copper and fiber cables. Any of these cables can become defective due to mishandling, material deterioration and oxidation. Furthermore, poor soldering techniques can cause problems as the solder joint corrodes over time. These cables can be expensive and often need to be returned to the supplier for defect isolation. However, removal of a defective cable and reinstallation of a replacement cable can require a considerable amount of time, especially when dealing with longer cable runs.
In a datacenter having a large number of cables, the cables are often run overhead or below the floor in large cable bundles. Any specific cable can become buried under other cables and may be intertwined with those cables making it very difficult to remove a specific cable and install a replacement cable. If the cables run through or around obstructions and confined spaces, this will increase the amount of time spent handling the cables and increase the potential for damaging other cables or cable connections within the datacenter. Furthermore, the amount of time that a cable remains out of service may represent downtime for one or more component or service of the datacenter.